15 Jobs That Were Easier To Get A Decade Ago

Most job seekers know all too well that it's getting harder and harder to get a good-paying job without investing in additional education. As the New York Times noted, a college degree has become the new high school diploma: a minimum requirement for even low-level positions.

Meanwhile, jobs that used to require just a high school diploma are now asking for an Associate's degree or even a Bachelor's, a phenomenon economists have termed "degree inflation."

Business Insider worked with Laurence Shatkin, an occupational information specialist, to find out which jobs are now harder to get into today (i.e., have higher educational requirements) than they were 10 years ago. To come up with the list, Shatkin compared U.S. Labor Department data on educational requirements for jobs in 2002 versus in 2012.

There are a number of factors that are driving up job qualifications, such as record rates of college attendance and graduation over the past few years. Overwhelmed with resumes and applications, employers often use education as an easy way to filter out candidates.

Shatkin says the infusion of technology across industries has also raised the skill level needed for certain occupations. "This is probably what happened to [civil and electrical] drafters, who now need an Associate's degree," he says.

Below, check out some of the jobs that are harder to get into now than they were a decade ago:

ActorsEducation requirements in 2002: High school diploma or equivalentEducation requirements in 2012: Some college, no degreeMedian salary in 2012: $42,140